B&H Photography Podcast

What does it take to photograph elite athletes pushing their bodies to the point of collapse, or freeze the motion of cars hurtling by at speeds that blur the line between control and catastrophe?
Two of our favorite recent podcasts went deep inside those worlds: one with Phil Penman and Kristof Ramon on the brutal beauty of competitive cycling, and the other with Camden Thrasher and Jamey Price on the relentless sensory overload that comes with photographing motor sports.
While our video podcast studio gets its finishing touches, we're revisiting our archive for an encore that pairs the best of both sports—from the many stages of suffering baked into professional cycling to the wild mix of visual stimulation and sleep deprivation that comes with shooting a 24-hour endurance race. In each conversation, you'll find sparks of enlightenment that happens when photographers who thrive on adrenaline get a chance to really talk shop.
The excerpts here contain the highlights. Yet, the full episodes are also worth your time—links to those are in the timeline below.
And make sure to subscribe @BHPodcastNetwork to get our latest updates on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Guests: Phil Penman, Kristof Ramon, Camden Thrasher & Jamey Price
Episode Timeline:
The Art of Competitive Cycling Photography, with Phil Penman & Kristof Ramon
3:25: Phil Penman's background in competitive cycling and how this informs his photographs of the sport.
5:48: Logistics to shooting competitive cycling and perils of damaging photo gear.
9:21: Creative aspects to competitive cycling photography and how to get impactful shots.
14:00: The many stages of suffering in competitive cycling, and the pride riders take in having this photographed.
20:02: Technical aspects of cycling photography, understanding light, capturing speed, and learning to react intuitively to the action.
25:00: Gaining access and building rapport with athletes and teams.
31:28: The back story to Kristof's book and how he identified suffering as a narrative element.
37:38: Starting out and getting credentials as a competitive cycling photographer.
41:13: Balancing the technical with an emotional response while building in certainties and calculating risk.
50:29: EPISODE BREAK
High-Octane Motor Sports Photography, with Camden Thrasher & Jamey Price
53:46: Jamey's start as a jockey, plus comparisons between photographing horse racing and motorsports
55:25: Camden's early years at auto races and exploring the mechanics of his father's film camera.
56:55: The logistics behind working as a motor sports photographer and a race day timeline.
1:10:58: The thrill of endurance racing and how covering these 24-hour races differs from other auto racing events.
1:16:34: Camden and Jamey's go-to gear, and using manual focus for panning shots. 
1:23:00: How to capture adverse weather or unique atmospheric conditions for great results. 
1:27:15: Camera settings and creative techniques for panning, plus challenges to calculating relative distance combined with speed. 
1:33:42: Varied limits to image use, copyright ownership, and licensing images to clients.
1:37:36: Parting advice to fans seeking to become a credentialed motor sport photographer.
Guest Bios:
British-born, New York-based photographer Phil Penman has documented the ever-changing scene of New York City's streets for more than 25 years. and he has quite a bit of experience in the world of professional cycling himself.
In his career as a news and magazine photographer, Phil has photographed major public figures and historical events. His reportage following the 9/11 terrorist attack was featured in major print publications and media broadcasts worldwide, and his work covering New York City's pandemic lockdown is in the collection of the U.S. Library of Congress.
In addition to exhibiting at Leica galleries in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and London, Phil's signature street photography has appeared in international exhibitions as far afield as Venice, Berlin, and Sydney. He also tours the world teaching photo workshops for Leica Akademie. Phil's books, "Street" published in 2019, and "New York Street Diaries" published in 2023 both became best-sellers and have been featured at New York's Museum of Modern Art.
Kristof Ramon is a pro-cycling photographer who covers some of the world's most prestigious races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d' Italia, the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix. Born and raised in Belgium, Kristof discovered photography while attending film school at age 19. He eventually followed his passion for cycling and photography and has focused exclusively on this sport since 2011.
Working under the name Kramon, his talent for storytelling and his ability to capture the atmosphere and raw emotion of racing makes his images stand out from typical race photography. Kristof's reputation has earned him the respect and trust of many of the biggest racing teams and riders - which is why he's able to capture such extraordinary in-between moments and behind-the-scenes images. The riders are always his primary focus, as evidenced in his close-up portraits of racers caked in sweat, mud, dust, snow, and grime. Kristof's first book, The Art of Suffering, was released in June 2024 by Laurence King Publishing.
Camden Thrasher is a motor sports photographer with a distinctive ability to capture unique scenes of fast action. Growing up in Vancouver, Washington, it was the sound of engines from a nearby racetrack that first drew him to motor sports. After becoming a fixture at the track with his camera during high school, Camden studied automotive design and engineering in college, expecting to work as an engineer or on a pit crew.
But the money he was making as a side hustle with his camera convinced him to stick with photography, and he hasn't looked back since. Using a unique slow shutter speed method, perfected over many exposures, Camden revels in showcasing the abstract qualities of gleaming metal, bright lights, and dynamic action that are hallmarks of this sport. Now based out of Atlanta, Georgia, Camden's work has been commissioned by top racing teams and featured in a wide range of media, from print magazines to automotive branding campaigns.
Jamey Price is an automotive photographer based in Charlotte, North Carolina, whose motor sports work has taken him to more than 25 countries, and across most of the continental US. Jamey's photography career began while he was competing as a thoroughbred horse racing jockey and exercise rider. During this time, he completed more than 50 races, notching 11 wins in the saddle. His life in horse racing was eventually compiled into the self-published book Chasing: Racing Life in England & Ireland. Yet, in 2011, Jamey's photography career switched from horses to horse-power. Since he began chasing race cars, his images have been published worldwide in magazines, distributed by sports imagery wire services, and featured by top commercial clients. Additionally, Jamey is a LEXAR Elite Artist, since 2014.
Stay Connected:
Phil Penman Website: https://www.philpenman.com
Phil Penman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philpenman/
Phil Penman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philpenmanphotography/
Phil Penman Twitter: https://x.com/Penmanphoto
Phil Penman Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Penman
Kristof Ramon Website: https://kramon.be/
Kristof Ramon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kramon_velophoto
Kristof Ramon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kramon/
Kristof Ramon Twitter: https://x.com/kristoframon
Kristof Ramon Photoshelter: https://kramon.photoshelter.com/
Kristof Ramon Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kristoframon/
Kristof Ramon at Lawrence King Publishing: 
https://us.laurenceking.com/products/the-art-of-suffering
Camden Thrasher Website: https://www.camdenthrasher.com/
Camden Thrasher Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camdenthrasher/
Camden Thrasher Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CTimages/
Camden Thrasher Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cthrash/ 
Jamey Price Website: https://www.jameypricephoto.com/
Jamey Price Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameypricephoto/
Jamey Price Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jameypricephoto/
Jamey Price Twitter: https://x.com/jameypricephoto/
Jamey Price YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jameypricephoto
Jamey Price TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jameypricephoto/
Jamey Price Lexar: https://americas.lexar.com/lexar-elite-team/jamey-price/ 
For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

Music photography has always been a listener favorite, and through the years we've gathered countless stories from legendary photographers about what it takes to document all aspects of the music scene.
As we temporarily pause in recording new episodes while we build out a studio for video podcasts, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and feature some noteworthy clips from our 10-year archive.
This compilation of favorite moments celebrates the intersection of photographic mastery and music history, with talents spanning from Lynn Goldsmith to Mick Rock, Jeanette Beckman to Graham Nash, among the many other dedicated music photographers we've had the pleasure to interview. 
If you'd like to take a deeper dive into any of the original episodes, you'll find links in our episode timeline below.
Most important, please subscribe to @BHPodcastNetwork to get our latest updates on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Featured Photograph © Jim Marshall, from the new book The Beatles By Jim Marshall: Live At Candlestick Park, in bookstores June 2, 2026
Episode Timeline:
 
0:58: Excerpt from The Markers of Our Bliss—Lynn Goldsmith and Rock 'n' Roll
4:22: Excerpt from Mick Rock: The Name Says It All
6:59: Excerpt from Master Blaster Charles Daniels Reveals his Unseen '60s Era Photo Archive
12:06: Excerpt from 'Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky - Rock Photography of the 1960s
15:55: Excerpt from Jazz Photography and "Harlem 1958" by Art Kane
20:38: Excerpt from Hip-Hop Fellini—Anniversary of "The Greatest Day in Hip-Hop," by Gordon Parks, featuring Michael Gonzales, Sheena Lester & Vikki Tobak.
29:24: Episode Break
30:06: Excerpt from A History of Hip-Hop Photography, featuring Vikki Tobak, Jeanette Beckman & Eric Johnson
37:20: Excerpt from Mixing Music with Pictures, with Bootsy Holler & Chris Ortiz
42:41: Excerpt from The Ninja—Concert Photography, with Christie Goodwin 
48:45: Excerpt from Graham Nash, Ace Photographer, Digital Printing Pioneer, Music Legend
Stay Connected:
Lynn Goldsmith Website: https://lynngoldsmith.com/wordpress/
Mick Rock Website: https://www.mickrock.com/
Charles Daniels Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Charles-Daniels-Photography-100088252000625/
Jim Marshall Website: https://www.jimmarshallphotographyllc.com/
Art Kane Website: https://www.artkane.com/
Gordon Parks Website: https://www.gordonparksfoundation.org/
Vikki Tobak Linktree: https://linktr.ee/vikkitobak
Jeanette Beckman Website: https://janettebeckman.com/
Eric Johnson Website: https://cargocollective.com/upstairsaterics
Chris Ortiz Website: https://www.chris-ortiz.com/
Christie Goodwin Website: https://christiegoodwin.com/
Graham Nash Website: https://grahamnash.com/

"Live From New York, it's Saturday Night!" That single sentence has become a catchphrase for devotees of comedy and popular culture for more than 50 years—generations of fans who willingly turn their attentions from the height of weekend revelry to the televised antics of Saturday Night Live. 
As this illustrious broadcast wraps its 51st season, we're releasing an encore of our 2025 chat with SNL's photographer-in-residence Mary Ellen Matthews, while we busy ourselves backstage to bring you some exciting changes and an upcoming new look to our own show.
Week in, week out for more than two decades, Mary Ellen has conjured visual magic behind the scenes, creating inventive and irreverent portraits that air for three seconds each as so-called "bumpers" that transition to and from the show's commercial breaks. 
During our spirited chat about what is arguably the world's best photo gig, we follow Mary Ellen from a fateful 1993 phone call, inviting her to assist the show's founding photographer Edie Baskin, through her journey from mentee to team leader. Along the way, we pull back the curtain on the creation of some iconic images and learn what it takes to be "in the driver's seat [with] a whole busload of very important people to take care of."
"My job is to make this easy and fast," she notes. "And I don't want anyone to be overthinking anything because they've got enough to worry about with all the sketches and all the pre-tapes and their responsibilities to the rest of the show, which is the most important thing."
Episode Timeline: 
3:00: Living the dream as SNL's resident photographer while being creative under stressful deadline pressure.
4:44: Mary Ellen's early immersion in photography, at the side of her hobbyist father.
6:56: Arriving in NYC, early work for a record label, and the call to assist SNL's founding photographer in residence, Edie Baskin.
11:55: SNL's transition from film to digital, plus the cameras Mary Ellen shoots with today. 
15:37: Conceptualizing the weekly portrait shoots and collaborating with subjects.
20:31: Behind-the-scenes of a dicey photo shoot, plus SNL's weekly production timeline.
27:25: Episode Break
28:12: Beyond portraits, the images Mary Ellen shoots as props for SNL sketches—sometimes with a 4x5. 
33:11: The scheduling of SNL portrait shoots and getting portrait subjects to have fun.
36:34: Testing for shoots, the atmosphere on-set, and flying by the seat of your pants. 
40:06: Communicating with a celebrity's team to get everyone on the same page about shoots and concepts.
42:30: The general workflow of SNL portrait sessions: from shoot preparation to editing and post-production.
45:07: Advice for emerging photographers looking for work or applying for an internship.
 
Guest Bio: As a top entertainment portrait photographer, Mary Ellen Matthews is specialized in creating iconic images of well-known personalities—from pop stars to sports legends to rock gods. Since 1999, she has been photographer-in-residence at Saturday Night Live, where she's responsible for creating the distinctive look of the show's still images. Through her exuberant presence that puts subjects at ease, her creative and playful styling on set and intensive fine-tuning in post, Matthews produces unique and recognizable portraits under the manic deadlines of live TV. What's more, in 2010, she began directing SNL's video clips, including the show's opening title sequence.
 
Recent clients include Peacock, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Studios, and Prime Video, as well as publications such as Variety, Rolling Stone, Marie Claire, and the Spanish edition of Harper's Bazaar. Most notably, in March 2025, Matthews's first book, The Art of the SNL Portrait, was released to mark the 50th anniversary of this revolution in late night TV. S

Photography has plenty of different specialty areas—portraits, sports, fashion, food, still life—to name just a few. In today's show we're going to investigate a specialty that involves all these subjects, while calling for a photographer who is technically precise, emotionally intuitive, and practically invisible, all at once.
It's a corner of the industry people rarely consider, but one that holds massive influence over our cultural lives. This is the domain of the Unit Set Photographer: the person responsible for the pictures that sell a film or a show before anyone else has seen a frame of it. 
During a spirited conversation with photographers Myles Aronowitz and Cara Howe, we pull back the curtain on what it really feels like to toil on set, build trust with talent, and come away with great images under conditions that are rarely in your favor. 
In addition to learning the origin stories to their intense, multifaceted careers, we distinguish between work on feature films and tv productions, reveal the secret superpowers of stealth and stillness essential for success on set, describe how to build alliances across an film entire crew, and talk about value of the global shutter to combat banding with LED lights.
Or, as Myles sums things up in a nutshell, "One of the great things about being a still photographer on set is you're basically observing everything. I think of it as a learning experience every day."
Episode Timeline:
3:26: Defining the role of a unit set photographer and how it fits into a larger film or tv production.
8:24: How Myles first got into photographing stills for movie sets in the analog days. 
11:22: Cara's career path to working on films, joining the union, and becoming a unit set photographer.
16:54: Digging deeper into the multifaced role of still photographer on movie sets.
20:50: Does your work on a film set affect how you experience the finished production?
22:28: Making distinctions between work on a feature film set vs a tv production.
35:40: The importance of relationships with other crew members, from the assistant director to the lighting crew to the sound department. 
40:35: Episode Break
41:22: The sound blimp days of working with film and DSLRs before the switch to mirrorless. 
52:37: The cameras and lenses Myles & Cara work with on set.
57:12: Booking gigs, work schedules & downtime between jobs in both feature films and tv productions.
1:00:03: Post-production and turn-around time for delivering files.
1:02:41: Pathways for joining the Cinematographers Guild—IATSE Local 600.
1:05:53: Myles's post-retirement life and the importance of personal work as part of his vision.
1:10:28: Cara's personal projects and connections to the Hudson Valley art community.
Stay Connected:
Myles Aronowitz Website: https://mylesaronowitz.com/
Myles Aronowitz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mylesaronowitz
Myles Aronowitz Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/mylesaronowitz?fl=pl&fe=po
Myles Aronowitz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myles-aronowitz-0779499/
Myles Aronowitz on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0036938/
Cara Howe Unit Stills Website: http://carahowephoto.com/
Cara Howe Personal Website: https://www.carahowecreative/
Cara Howe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carahowephoto/
Cara Howe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carahowe/
Cara Howe on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1244868/

Sports photography hinges on freezing peak action—transforming a high-speed blur into a dramatic portrayal of human effort. When you combine that with the unyielding drive of elite athletes on the world stage, the pressure to nail the shot provides an incredible adrenaline rush.
In today's podcast, we discuss the unique challenges of documenting history in the making and unpacking stories from the Winter Games with renowned sports photographer Jean Fruth, recently back from her first Olympics. 
From a hectic scramble on arrival in Milan—getting to the arena and gearing up as her first game was already in progress—to the detailed planning and creative insights she brought to every second of the ensuing competition, Jean shares her front row seat at the Games. We also follow her behind the scenes and learn how she negotiated a special request for access and her diplomatic response that transformed an unqualified maybe into a yes. 
As she notes during our chat, "My Olympics was an intense women's hockey Olympics. It was—I have a chance to make something special, something different. I have two and three games per day. I'm here for almost three weeks. I have a chance to make all kinds of pictures. So, I'm not going to play it safe."
Episode Timeline:
2:24: Jean's shift from baseball to hockey to promote women's sports, plus her path to photographing hockey at her first Olympics. 
13:11: The high-pressure logistics behind Jean's arrival in Milan with her first game already in progress.  
21:52: Photographing day two and connecting with her photography heroes. 
24:30: Jean's creative approach to photographing hockey at the Games, plus the challenge of shooting through plexiglass.
28:07: Chasing the story behind Women's Olympic hockey games and the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
30:02: The ask to shoot behind-the-scenes and Jean's approach to dealing with a maybe. 
35:06: Episode Break
35:51: Jean talks about her gear and the tools available to photographers in the media center. 
44:21: Lugging her gear to a prime Opening Ceremonies vantage point despite wrong directions, plus the pizza delivery service that sustained her during overnight editing sessions. 
50:57: Derek and Jean talk lighting, camera settings, and using a preset to pan with action shots.
54:26: The challenges of shooting through plexiglass, plus getting creative with different elements to keep it interesting—from panning techniques to playing with colors.
1:01:24: The dream moments at the end of the competition, and how Jean hustled to capture both the view from above and a central position for the team shot with medals. 
1:04:25: Jean's biggest take away from the Olympics—the collaborative aspect of performing at the highest level. It felt good to be nervous and then overcome it.
1:07:14: Jean's parting advice—you belong here, having confidence in yourself, and being prepared to shift.
Guest Bio: Jean Fruth does more than take pictures of sports; she tells stories of vibrant personalities and local cultures.
As a Sony Artisan of Imagery, Jean has covered nearly every sport, though baseball remains her specialty. After helping to build the archive of the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, she co-founded the Grassroots Baseball non-profit in 2019 to celebrate the amateur game worldwide. 
Jean is also a filmmaker and the author of three books. Her latest project See Her Be Her includes a documentary film, a book, and a non-profit aimed at shining an overdue spotlight on women athletes, or "unsung sheroes," as she calls them. 
Jean's work is regularly featured in prestige media and has been exhibited in major institutions from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum to the Smithsonian to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Most recently, she was honored with the 2025 United Nations International Photographic Council Achievement Award. 
For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts